Houston Texas & Portland Maine—thought-provoking, intercultural, ensemble theatre!
A BIT ABOUT OUR PHILOSOPHY
NIE ENSEMBLE TRAINING:
Antonin Artaud in his famous work, The Theater and Its Double, wrote:
“…who ever said the theater was created to analyze a character, to resolve the conflicts of love and duty, to wrestle with all the problems of a topical and psychological nature that monopolize our contemporary stage?”
“Given the theater as we see it here, one would say there is nothing more to life than knowing whether we can make love skillfully, whether we will go to war or are cowardly enough to make peace, how we cope with our little pangs of conscious, and whether we will become conscious of ‘our complexes’ (in the language of experts) or if indeed our ‘complexes’ will do us in. Rarely, moreover, does the debate rise to a social level, rarely do we question our social and moral system. Our theater never goes so far as to ask whether this social and moral system might not, by chance, be iniquitous.”
It is in this thinking that NIE was born. We are interested in producing, growing professionals and introducing youth to the practice of physical theatre—theater that finds it roots in the body, in the voice, in movement and physical expression that provides an avenue into the unconscious, into finding a narrative that is deeper than the conscious stories we tell.
Ensemble acting moves beyond the individual into the company, the idea of other, of something beyond the self. We study the internal space as well as the space between—through physicality, stamina, vocal work, breath, and movement.We create.
Classes will be taught by NIE A.D. , director, & educator, dianne k. webb and, when noted, other NIE company members
“It is not your ability to imitate, to manufacture, to play a part,
but your ability to bring your uniqueness, that’s the thing." —d webb
“One cannot act alone with only the face, or only the body, or only the voice;
these three must in a unified way (or as needed disparate way) communicate the scene, the character, the piece.” —d webb
"The next iteration is not about imitation, but about finding our own voice and moving it through the idea, the scene, the piece." —d webb
CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT:
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INTENSIVES:
Week long intensives focusing on aspects of ensemble acting and physical theater technique.
TEEN ENSEMBLE ACTING INTENSIVES:
Limited length intensives (designed to fit teen schedules) focusing on aspects of ensemble acting, improvisation, and physical theater technique geared to adolescents.
OPEN INTENSIVES FOR THE COMMUNITY :
Week long intensives geared to meet the needs of community members and community actors who are interested in physical acting and ensemble theater skills.